'We're here, we're queer' -- Smaller communities in Indiana have Pride too [View all]

Pride celebrations in urban communities attract thousands — but LGBTQ+ Hoosiers in rural parts of the state are also celebrating. That’s despite limited funding and, in some cases, threats. This year’s events come as the climate nationally has changed.

“We received a lot of hate, especially messages, emails, over the top stuff – you know – ‘we should die, they need to hang us up by our heels in the downtown square and let people beat us,’ that kind of stuff,” said Tammi Shafer Bailey, Decatur County Pride treasurer and festival chair. “I’m an old protester from back in the ’60s and ’70s. I wasn’t afraid of any of that. But, people who aren’t used to that kind of stuff would be.”

Decatur County, located halfway between Indianapolis and Cincinnati, has approximately 26,000 residents.

“We saw a need for queer joy,” she said. “We found out quickly when we took over the group that people were afraid to come out and we wanted to show them they didn’t have to be.”

Read more at: https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2025/06/09/were-here-were-queer-smaller-communities-in-indiana-have-pride-too/